The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

The most sensational event in Runzhou City in the past six months was not that someone took a concubine, nor that a courtesan was dressing up, but rather—paper became worthless.

The finest mulberry paper, which originally cost 100 coins per ream, is now sold for only 60 coins at "Jingshi Paper Shop". Moreover, this paper is whiter and tougher, does not bleed ink when writing, and even has a faint bamboo fragrance.

The original paper merchants' guilds in Runzhou initially tried to join forces to resist, and even hired local thugs to cause trouble.

The very next day, those thugs were arrested by the authorities—because Jingshi Academy was now a "key protected object" of the Runzhou prefect. Coupled with Qian Duoduo's business strategy of "price war + bundled sales + VIP membership system," they utterly defeated those old shopkeepers who were still desperately trying to cut costs with abacus beads.

In Runzhou City today, even the old lady selling steamed buns on the street knows: Want to buy cheap paper? Go find Manager Qian!

……

Inside the academy, the atmosphere was even more somber than the business battles outside.

A large red and gold-flecked notice was posted in the center of the lecture hall: the Jiangnan East Road Prefectural Examination is scheduled to be held in Runzhou Examination Hall in two months.

This is a truly grand spectacle.

If the county examination was a "village brawl," then the prefectural examination was a "regular military exercise." Winning this one not only granted one the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination), but also provided a ticket to the Ministry of Rites examination (the provincial-level examination) in the capital.

The atmosphere in the lecture hall was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

The usually carefree Su Shi was now staring blankly at the withered branches outside the window, his brush splattering ink all over the table.

Even the composed Su Zhe had his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

Zeng Gong was even more nervous, wiping the inkstone again and again, as if he wanted to scrub it until the skin was worn raw.

"What? Scared?"

Jiang Lin slowly walked into the lecture hall, carrying a teacup, breaking the deathly silence.

Su Zhe stood up and said with a wry smile, "Sir, it's not that I'm nervous. It's just that I've heard that the top academies in Suzhou and Hangzhou have sent their best students for this prefectural examination. Especially the Canglang Academy in Suzhou, which is known as having the 'Four Talented Scholars of Jiangnan,' and whose reputation is far-reaching. If..."

"Are you afraid of embarrassing me if you lose?"

Jiang Lin blew on the tea foam, his tone as relaxed as if he were discussing what to have for dinner.

The three lowered their heads, clearly acquiescing.

After all, sweeping the top three spots in the county examination set the bar too high. Now the whole of Runzhou is watching; if they are defeated in the prefectural examination, Jingshi Academy will become a laughing stock.

"Useless."

Jiang Lin slammed his teacup on the table, the crisp sound startling the three of them.

"So what if they were talented scholars from Suzhou? They studied dead books, while you guys are learning..." Jiang Lin pointed to his head, "...the art of slaying dragons."

Su Shi's eyes lit up: "The art of slaying dragons?"

"Now that we've laid a solid foundation, for the next two months, we won't practice the eight-legged essay or memorize the classics."

Jiang Lin walked to the blackboard (a specially made wooden board blackened with ink), picked up a chalk pen, and wrote two large characters on it—

【pattern】

"The previous county examinations tested literary talent. But the prefectural examinations, and even the future provincial and palace examinations, will test governance skills."

Jiang Lin turned around, his eyes becoming incredibly deep. "From today onwards, I will teach you what 'economics' is and what 'game theory' is."

For the next two months, Jing Shi Academy turned into a "devil's training camp".

Jiang Lin no longer asked them to write poems about romance and nature, but instead posed a series of shocking and unconventional topics:

"If northern nomadic tribes invade our borders with cavalry, and our Great Song Dynasty is short of horses, how can we use economic means to counterbalance them?"

"With the national treasury empty, should we raise taxes on the people, or should we plunder the wealth of neighboring countries through trade surpluses?"

"With grain prices soaring during years of famine, should the government forcibly impose price controls, or should it offer high prices to attract merchants?"

In traditional Confucian classics, the answers to these questions are often "benevolent governance," "transformation through influence," and "reducing expenditures."

But Jiang Lin's answer shattered the worldviews of Su Shi and the other two.

"War is essentially a money-burning affair. Instead of fighting a war, wage a trade war, draining their blood with silk and tea, so they can afford a knife but not rice!"

"Price controls will only lead to a situation where there are high prices but no market, and people will starve to death even faster. We need to attract grain merchants from other regions with high prices. Once there is more grain, the price will naturally come down—that's called supply and demand!"

Inside the lecture hall, Su Shi listened in stunned silence, his pen hovering in mid-air, oblivious to the ink dripping onto his face.

"This...this is hardly the art of being an official..."

Su Shi muttered to himself, his eyes burning with unprecedented fervor, "Master, what you've taught me is simply divine and ingenious strategy!"

Zeng Gong was so excited that his hands trembled: "If we follow your method, sir, perhaps there really will be a day when the deep-seated problems of the Song Dynasty can be solved!"

Jiang Lin chuckled inwardly as he watched the three students, their enthusiasm fueled by modern economics and game theory.

This is hardly a divine scheme; it's just a tired, overused theory from later generations. But in the Song Dynasty, it was a game-changer.

"I've got it."

Jiang Lin tapped the blackboard, chalk dust flying everywhere. "Once we're in the exam room, repackage these theories. Don't say 'trade war,' say 'barter trade, appease distant peoples'; don't say 'supply and demand,' say 'follow the seasons, adjust balance'. Understand?"

"Understood!" the three said in unison, their timidity vanishing and replaced by a mysterious confidence that came from having grasped the truth.

……

Meanwhile, the inns in Runzhou City were already fully booked.

Candidates from all over Jiangnan gathered here. Scholars often looked down on each other, especially the talented men from Suzhou and Hangzhou, who had always looked down on Runzhou as a "rural place".

Inside the lobby of Yuelai Inn.

Several Suzhou scholars, dressed in brocade robes and holding folding fans, were engaged in lively conversation.

"Have you heard? That Jingshi Academy claims it will sweep the top three spots in the prefectural examination."

"Hmph—how arrogant!" A slick-haired young master sneered disdainfully. "He's just a local tyrant in a small place like Runzhou. The county examination is nothing to brag about."

"Exactly. I heard the headmaster of that academy is a commoner who's never even held an official position. What kind of good students can he possibly teach? He probably doesn't even know how many ways there are to write a 'fu' (a type of classical Chinese prose-poem)!"

"The 'Four Heroes of Canglang' are here this time to teach them a lesson: there are always people more capable than you, and the sky is always higher than the heavens!"

The lobby was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, and everyone was waiting to see Jingshi Academy make a fool of itself.

These sarcastic remarks naturally reached the academy as well.

Su Zhe was getting impatient and wanted to argue, but Jiang Lin stopped him.

It was dusk.

Jiang Lin stood at the entrance of the newly renovated academy, gazing at the brightly lit Runzhou City in the distance, a place where countless candidates gathered, bustling and noisy.

"Sir, they've gone too far!" Su Zhe clenched his fists.

"Let them shout."

Jiang Lin stood with his hands behind his back, the evening breeze ruffling his blue robe, exuding a captivating tranquility.

He turned his head and looked at the three students behind him who had undergone a complete transformation, a faint yet extremely arrogant smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"The louder you shout now, the louder you'll be slapped in the face later."

Jiang Lin stretched out his hand, pointing to the dazzling lights, as if surveying the landscape:

"Go and prepare the brush and ink."

"I want the whole of Jiangnan to know through this prefectural examination—from now on, the four characters 'Jingshi Academy' will be the rule of the literary world of the Song Dynasty."